A Study of Dialectic in Plato's Parmenides (Rereading Ancient Philosophy) - Softcover

Eric Sanday (author) & John Russon (editor)

Softcover

ISBN 10: 0810134853 ISBN 13: 9780810134850

Publisher: Northwestern University Press, 2016

Synopsis

In this book, Eric Sanday boldly demonstrates that Plato’s “theory of forms” is true, easy to understand, and relatively intuitive. Sanday argues that our chief obstacle to understanding the theory of forms is the distorting effect of the tacit metaphysical privileging of individual things in our everyday understanding. For Plato, this privileging of things that we can own, produce, exchange, and through which we gain mastery of our surroundings is a significant obstacle to philosophical education. The dialogue’s chief philosophical work, then, is to destabilize this false privileging and, in Parmenides, to provide the initial framework for a newly oriented account of participation. Once we do this, Sanday argues, we more easily can grasp and see the truth of the theory of forms.

About this title

About the Author

Eric Sanday is an assistant professor of philosophy at the University of Kentucky.

Edition details

• Publisher: Northwestern University Press
• Publication date: 2016
• Language: English
• ISBN 10: 0810134853
• ISBN 13: 9780810134850
• Binding: Paperback
• Number of pages: 280